You might also like: | Which is the oldest dinosaur?-Zoom Dinosaurs | Today's featured page: Reading Log Worksheets |
ZoomDinosaurs.com Dinosaur News |
October 29, 1999 |
An international team of scientists led by John Flynn (of Chicago's Field Museum) found the fossils in a riverbed on Madagascar. The team included John Flynn, J. Michael Parrish (of the Northern Illinois University), Berthe Rakotosamimanana (of the Universite d'Antananarivo, Madagascar), William Simpson (of the Field Museum), and Robin Whatley and Andre Wyss (both from the University of California, Santa Barbara).
So far, only the jaw bones of these kangaroo-sized dinosaurs have been found. They were probably prosauropods, primitive, plant-eating dinosaurs that had a small head and a long neck. They walked on four legs, but could perhaps rear up on two legs to feed. The prosauropods may have led to the sauropods, familiar plant-eaters like Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, and Brachiosaurus.
Previously, the oldest-known dinosaur was Eoraptor, a meat-eater found in Argentina. Eoraptor dates from about 228 million years ago. The Eoraptor site was dated using radio-isotope analysis; the Madagascar site was dated using index fossils.
Reference: Nature (Sept. 2, 1999 ) and Science (Oct. 22, 1999). Press release.
RELATED LINKS
More information on sauropods, plant-eating dinosaurs.
A page on the dinosaur Eoraptor.
Information on the Triassic period.
Other fossils found in Africa (including Madagascar).
Chart of geological time
Enchanted Learning®
Over 35,000 Web Pages
Sample Pages for Prospective Subscribers, or click below
Overview of Site What's New Enchanted Learning Home Monthly Activity Calendar Books to Print Site Index K-3 Crafts K-3 Themes Little Explorers Picture dictionary PreK/K Activities Rebus Rhymes Stories Writing Cloze Activities Essay Topics Newspaper Writing Activities Parts of Speech Fiction The Test of Time
|
Biology Animal Printouts Biology Label Printouts Biomes Birds Butterflies Dinosaurs Food Chain Human Anatomy Mammals Plants Rainforests Sharks Whales Physical Sciences: K-12 Astronomy The Earth Geology Hurricanes Landforms Oceans Tsunami Volcano |
Languages Dutch French German Italian Japanese (Romaji) Portuguese Spanish Swedish Geography/History Explorers Flags Geography Inventors US History Other Topics Art and Artists Calendars College Finder Crafts Graphic Organizers Label Me! Printouts Math Music Word Wheels |
Click to read our Privacy Policy
Search the Enchanted Learning website for: |